


In the Center of the Ring

by NekoMida



Category: Marvel 616, X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Circus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-03
Updated: 2019-12-03
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:53:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21657085
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NekoMida/pseuds/NekoMida
Summary: The Black Cat Cabaret is a show you'd be hard-pressed to miss.
Relationships: Peter Maximoff/Felicia Hardy
Comments: 1
Kudos: 1
Collections: 300bpm Flash Exchange November 2019





	In the Center of the Ring

**Author's Note:**

  * For [VampirePaladin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/VampirePaladin/gifts).



The spotlight was waiting for her, ready to go as the ring dropped from the big-top’s hidden platform. She was securely seated on it, the tight leather of her costume and the ruff of her neckline glittering as the jewels embedded in her clothing shone in the light. Behind her, trapeze artists flew across the air with no safety net, ladies dangled from vines and chains, and one woman was tossed between the trapeze artists.

This was home, the centre ring. This is where they belonged--normal people called them freaks, mutants. Felicia called them her family.

Below the descending ring were dozens of spectators watching in awe, her partner in crime waiting to catch her as she leapt from the glittering ring into his arms. Cheers erupted as the silver sequins caught the light, the smile on his face bright as he leapt up to catch her.

“Thanks lover.” Felicia purred it against his skin, pressing a kiss to the side of his neck as he sat her down. “The Amazing Quicksilver, everyone! A round of applause for the fastest man in the world!” He sped around her, churning up dust and glitter into a whirlwind to sprinkle on the audience like a freshly fallen snow before disappearing into the back tent for water.

“Welcome one and all to the Greatest Show on Earth, the Black Cat Cabaret!” She flicked up a diamond-tipped claw, eyes twinkling in the bright lights as horses and elephants walked around them, flashy costumes distracting the audience as she hid beneath the stampede and waited for the right moment to strike. There it was, the perfect opportunity, an opening just small enough for her to slip into without so much as a hair out of place.

She took it, and the audience let out a chorus of ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’, elated by her movements just as someone fell off his seat in the back of the audience. Bad luck strikes when nobody is prepared, just as she planned it would. A rip in the tent as the dancers swung around on their ribbons, screws falling loose from the planed boards of the walkway as the lion-tamer lit the ring of fire.

And a safety harness shredding right as her lover was about to come to the stage, narrowly missing him and swinging towards the audience. He ran and played it off as something that was supposed to happen, flying around in blue bursts with the Incredible Nightcrawler to delight the crowd. Her arms found his, tugged to the air as the winds flowed through her hair in streaks, a laugh tearing through her throat as he kissed her lisp again, stealing the attention and captivating everyone.

That night, they’d bathe in gold and cash, the petty thefts accomplished while all eyes were on them. It was an honest living, and moving town to town kept things interesting. If nothing else, the real world was the circus act; and they were just putting on a facade of a performance to charm the denizens into a sense of security. None of them would go hungry again, or do without anything they wanted.

This was her family, her home, her circus tent full of bubbling cheers and bubbly alcohol, a wild dance between being a master and a slave to the ordinary folk. It was a dance that she’d repeat on end until she couldn’t anymore, and then she’d retire with grace, hopefully with Quicksilver by her side, those brown eyes hiding such trouble that Felicia could have fallen into them headfirst without a second thought.

There’s no business like show business, after all, from its many glorious capers to the not-so-favorable times. But for now, she’d be content in her little world, until they were ready to see a real act in progress, and then she’d rob them all blind, make them green with envy at her talents.


End file.
